Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my Movie Review.
You know, being dead is both tragic and terrifying fate for something unexpected or to the future. But sometimes, even we have to dealing with death, we may also have spirit in our mind, seeing ghost that we miss so much in our daydream or even looking back in either the dream or even old video tapes. However, it wasn’t just a looking back, there are some who have an unusual ability of talking to dead people, even though it didn’t make any sense, but sometimes ghost can telling us for the order for revenge or even asking the way to reviving, that is unless if there’s a bio-exorcist from modeling background to go crazy in action to call upon the name, Bloody Mary style, without the disturbance and violence ways.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a 2024 fantasy horror-comedy that was produced/directed by Tim Burton, co-produced by Marc Toberoff, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Tommy Harper, then written by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith.
Before we have this movie, here’s a brief history about Beetlejuice.
Following the success of “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure”, at first, Tim Burton is going to working on his take on Batman since he’s a bankable filmmaker back then, but it was an opposite that Burton is willing to pay with the writer Sam Hamm, causing a Burton’s caped crusader being less green-lit, which Burton wasn’t so keen for his vision, but that’s a long story, but then came Michael McDowell and Larry Wilson, when they came in to have a new concept about Beetlejuice, which Burton liked that idea, despite he had to putting his projects (including Batman) on hold work on it. Though it was originally going to be much darker and probably violent with graphical car crash and few others in their concept, while some are kept in a cut, though while some concept are kept, but Warren Skaaren stepped in when they had to changing the tone to be less violent to more focus on horror-comedy for various reason like having R&B music, the chaotic climax and even Michael Keaton as the titular character, and the rest, as they say, was history, its beloved by critics and the audience and the box-office was an instant hit, which of course, it eventually brought us a cartoon in 1989 to 1991 with Burton also involved the show as the executive producer. (As for me, yes I watched it from like, a months ago, it was insane, but I like it, maybe il review it in my future.)
Anyway, to the sequel’s origin. In fact, the sequel’s origin came back when Beetlejuice was a huge deal. So much so that the late production company called “The Geffen Film Company” were opened to have, not one, but two sequels, from “Beetlejuice In Love” which is like a horror romantic comedy when after the boyfriend died, the titular character goes after a girlfriend, and “Beetlejuice goes Hawaii” which a vacation movie with a mix of German Expressionism. However, despite Burton was interested to having another Beetlejuice movies, he’s been pretty busy with other projects with or without WB, ranging from working on Batman Returns or unfortunate canceled “Superman Lives”, leaving all of those crazy projects are pretty much thrown out with no hopes at all, even when they trying to get some new writers, including Kevin Smith. But it wouldn’t be until on February 2022, a new company “Plan B Entertainment” (founded by Brad Pitt, yes, THE Brad Pitt) came in to working with WB for second chance to having a new Beetlejuice project, though Tim Burton he had nothing to with Plan B, but he’s interested to coming back as a director, along with reuniting like Danny Elfman and even some casts, despite its all about next gen first witness Beetlejuice, due to having a new casts.
So, with all that said, will Beetlejuice deserves a welcome return for more chaotic journey, or should we not chanting his name ever again?
Well, lets find out.
The Story
While we have a welcome return to our old friends like Deetz family and the Juice, we expect to having something new and more chaotic as the first one? Well, for the most part, yes.
The movie begins where (after a nice replicating the first movie’s intro with Danny Elfman’s welcome return to compose) Lydia Deetz appears as a host of her own talk show called “Ghost House” to talking guest and showing a supernatural videos, while secretly having a relationship with the producer Rory, despite she lost her late husband Richard in his Amazon trip. Despite going on a new life, she still has psychic ability of seeing dead, including her old pal Betelgeuse, which is why she’s taking pills for clearing her mind, even if she sounds she has a trauma view from the past 36 years. She reunites with her mother Delia, while being the hostess of real art show at Soho, New York, she shares her struggling experience about her past, which Delia did shares the same problem from the past when her late husband Charles had a plane crash before gets eaten by a shark (Damn…!). So, they wanna going out to reuniting Lydia’s estranged daughter Astrid, however for Astrid, she’s not in a mood to believing about ghost stories, since she just wants to be in normal life. Even when they revisited the old house at Winter River, Connecticut, Astrid isn’t helping that she still refuses to believing ghosts, while at the same time, Rory goes to proposing Lydia for a new family life, while Astrid bikes away before she meets Jeremy, without realizing the dark secret about him (talk about a red flag for Wednesday).
While in afterlife world, Betelgeuse running his own office business of Bio-Exorcists, even though at the same times, he really misses Lydia for reuniting. However, the afterlife world got into a hot water when Juice’s late ex named Dolores has returned to going on a rampage, sucking souls of the dead to gaining her life ever since back in their good’ol days, they used to be together during the epidemic of Black Plague, right before they were killing each others from Dolores’s poison to Betelgeuse murdering her (though it was before he became ghostly immortal).
So its up for the Deetz family to get themselves back while also dealing with the return of Betelgeuse in a good’ol chaotic journey in real world and afterlife.
Basically, the movie goes into a double plot, one is where Lydia tries to get her family back to gathering like a lovable family, despite their tragic announcement of Charles’s passing with Rory becoming her new husband, while the other is when Betelgeuse wants to see Lydia again while also trying to hiding himself from vengeful Dolores. It sounds like an interesting idea to having a family reconciliation while having a funeral of Charles’s death until dealing with an evil spirit to reuniting Betelgeuse. It sounds like a good idea, if the execution could’ve done right, since this movie is mainly focuses on Deetz family for their gathering along for both the funeral and proposal from Rory, despite some doubts, along with a subplot when Astrid is getting along with Jeremy, but again. Without realizing the dark secrets, while the second plot with Betelgeuse is unfortunately didn’t get a focus, since we would love to see him trying to do a wacky setup in attempt to fighting against his ex Dolores, but alas, we never get a chance of a screen time, especially with Dolores (more on that later), especially it would’ve been great if its a little longer than less than 2 hours long film, im just saying for the length, but its the execution for what would’ve been for the idea of this movie, it has a promising idea, but didn’t get what I was expected. Im not saying its that bad, I like the story for the most part and the writing is good, but again, for the most part from the execution.
While its not as perfect, as for the dark humor in this movie, I will say, its quite of chuckle worthy that I enjoy, from surprise to laughing. I like some humors what it pulled, but its not as fresh as the first one, again, not saying its bad, its good with chuckle, but not as laugh out loud as the first one.
While I enjoy some humors in chaotic natures, but the story, while it has a promising idea for the chemistry and some development, but the execution could’ve been better what we have in this movie.
The Presentation
When it comes to the budget, its surprisingly quadrupled, in comparison, the first one costed $15M, here, it costed $100M. That’s quite of updated budget after 36 years. But does it looking great? Well hell yeah, it does for a bigger and better budget.
For the filming, they filmed on both US and UK, such as East Corinth, Vermont (the same location from the first film) and even Melrose Massachusetts (the latter was resumed in filming after the Hollywood Labor Strike in 2023) in US, then in UK, they filmed in Princess Helena College in Preston Hertfordshire, England. And I will say, their filming location with props setting are pretty good what they put. For real world, its a pretty nice place to film, especially for filming in Vermont that happens to be the same place when it was first filmed in the first Beetlejuice, which I though its just a replica, but nope, its the same location they filmed (especially I thought like “Its only a model” much like in the Maitlands’ house, but again, I was wrong.), but it looks beautiful for welcoming back, even the new location are also pretty nice. In the world of afterlife, they’re quite of trippy with colors all over with neon lights and random locations, like some kind of messed up dream world. Not to mention, along with the ways they’re built, they kinda remind of German Expressionism from the 1920 like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari or even Nosferatu.
The effects of this movie is pretty good, freaky in Tim Burton’s fashion and well made. Aside the props in outdoor filming (instead filming on set) and of course, done with practical effects. Sure there were some part are done with CG, but practical effects are the most important things what Tim Burton (as well his crew) likes to pulled off, which is a good thing what we like to see to bring us back since the first film. The designs of the costumes in afterlife like the shrunken head employees are done in practical costume, which they’re quite unique and freaky looking with frown mouth and eyes wide open, then again, what do you expect of Tim Burton’s style, along with some others what they pulled for the costume design are pretty nice looking, as well as a nice reference from the past. But of course, they can also brought back one of my favorite animation style next to hand-drawn, which is the good’ol stopmotion ranging from the flashback of Charles’s death to return of Sandworm Titan, one of Saturn’s moons (still freaky as the original, eat your heart out, Dune’s sandworms…).
Another thing that I also like is some of the Easter Eggs, though I had a minimal of recognizable moments, but im sure some Beetlejuice fans will easily pointed up with several references, either from the first movie, the cartoon from 1989 to 1991, or even the musical from 2018.
Lastly, another welcome return is the soundtrack from our old friend Danny Elfman for giving us some spooky to chaotic moments, but of course, they add more fun to play with some songs from the reminder of Day-O to even chaotic music video with like Richard Marx’s Right Here Waiting, a theme song of Carrie (based on a reference that, again, not gonna SPOILING it) and even MacArthur Park by Richard Harris, along with the cover version by Donna Summer.
The presentation of this sequel is quite of chaotic work, but I enjoy it with the references, a welcome return to Vermont, and even the work of practical effects.
The Characters
Its no stranger that the reason why we have this sequel, we like to have a reunion of our familiar casts, but of course, in typical sequels, there’s gotta be a new characters, but sadly some that we all know won’t coming back.
So lets start off with Betelgeuse himself (played by Michael Keaton, aka Batman, aka The Vulture from Spider-Man Homecoming), before Beetlejuice, Michael had been into comedy movies from Night Shift and Mr. Mom, sure there are others that were mixed results, but those are two famous titles examples. But when he first played the Bio-Exorcist, he took a one heck of a comedic performance, both creepy and cartoony, its no stranger that he stole the show that he gave me a chuckle. As for this sequel, while he remains the same as before, but after 36 years, he’s like an old ex that he wants to see Lydia again, while also being the boss of his own office, and probably have a slight paranoid when her ex Dolores has returned. But he’s still being darkly humorous, which I will say, even Keaton’s pushed to his age of 70s, he’s still doing fun work of his performance for his delivery and even some timing. Sure, he had been away of comedic performance back then, but its nice to do his comedic performance, and again, Keaton did a fun work for his welcome return of his memorable role, especially reuniting with Tim Burton since two Batman movies.
Next up, we have Lydia Deetz (played by Winona Ryder), from before, Winona was around in teenage age to playing as Lydia (after having her debut from Lucas to Square Dance), she used to be a young Gothic daughter with her ability to talking ghosts to helping the Maitlands couple and made Betelgeuse attention to be with her so bad. Here in this sequel, while she’s working as a host of her own talk show, she’s pretty much a struggling mother, ever since she can’t stop seeing a familiar Bio-Exorcist in her mind, her struggling connection to her daughter and her unfortunate tragedy that she lost her husband Richard. Gone from being a Gothic little girl in her odd family, but as a mother who tries to moving on, sure she has a Gothic appearance, but her feeling has been changed that she cares about family, even if Betelgeuse is still in her mind. I will say, its quite of nice return for Winona for her role since her teenage life, sure she had been a difficulty life from losing her respectful young actress Polly Klaas to getting herself into legal trouble. But after many years, it feels like she made a comeback with successful film like Black Swan, a successful show like Stranger Things and even reuniting Tim Burton in Frankenweenie, and this film is the second reunion with Burton and I will say, its good to see her again after been in struggling life and Winona did a great job of her upgraded role of Lydia since her younger days.
Finally, we have Delia Deetz (played by Catherine O’Hara, aka Kaye McCallister from Home Alone), from before Home Alone, Delia started as a sculpture artist and probably an uneasy mother that she tries to connect for all of chaotic reason from her husband Charles to her daughter Lydia with all the arguments to overprotecting her daughter (talk about the earliest example of her motherly panicking role before Home Alone, eh?). In this sequel she got herself a sense of humor (since after the first film) and became a hostess of real art show, even though she likes to reuniting with Lydia, but she’s still an over-dramatic mother when something isn’t going on her way, especially for her loss of Charles. Even with her update and kinda remains the same, Catherine did a fun work of her performance as a mother/grandmother of Deetz family, especially for probably her overacting (though not as over the top, but still).
So what about the new characters in this movie? Well, they’re are good, despite there are some didn’t get well.
Lets start off with Astrid Deetz (played by Jenna Ortega, aka Wednesday Addams from Netflix’s Wednesday), she’s Lydia’s daughter in the movie. But unlike Lydia, Astrid wants to life in her normal day ever since she doesn’t want to hearing about a ghost story from her mother and/or even her grandma. Though sure, she tried to befriend with resident in Winter River, but again she should’ve picked the right person before the red flag some of them are… Too good to be related. Im not saying she’s a bad character, I’d say she’s just misunderstood and she probably taking it too personal she runs away with a bike before gets worse. But of course, Jenna did a great work of her performance and between this and her memorable role of Wednesday, I think Jenna is possibly my new favorite actress based on her delivery in her acting style.
Next, we have Rory (played by Justin Theroux) who’s Lydia’s new boyfriend for his wishful marriage to her, despite there’s probably a doubtful whether or not he’s a respectful TV producer or a manipulative man that he wants her to be with himself. I find him an okay character, I think he’s just another one of those rich villain who wants to using his advantage to marrying Lydia, despite she’s having a struggling experience of both Betelgeuse and her loss of Richard. Cause you know what they said “You can’t buy winning”. Anyway, I find him to be an okay new character due to predictable reason for why he wants to be with Lydia, but again, not gonna give you a SPOILER detail, even though he’s rich, but its easy to know his prediction. Despite the predictable, Justin did a fairly nice role, but even if he probably has less screen time in the second act.
Speaking of villain, we have Dolores (played by Monica Bellucci), an evil spirit who came back from the dead to absorbing souls for revenge on Betelgeuse since the days with Black Plague pandemic as a cult member. I think I find her to be a promising and beautiful villain in this movie, having an evil spirit is a promising concept to see her trying to hunting down the Juice in their deadly battle with ritual and poison. But sadly, we never get to see her more, due to the focus of a Deetz family struggle to re-connection, we’ll never be able to see her more in her rampage or maybe even coming out from Afterlife to murdering living people by absorbing souls, but alas, we never be able to see her more. Its just a shame that, again, I find her to be both beautiful and promising that she could’ve been a main villain, especially that I can’t help but thinking that she looks like Morticia Addams from The Addams Family (kinda ironic that Tim Burton really wanted to making his own take of The Addams Family, but then again, we have Wednesday. Aw well). Especially Monica did a nice work of her beautiful and villainous role.
After that, we have Wolf Jackson (played by Willem Dafoe, aka The Green Goblin), the late B movie actor turned ghostly detective for giving us a plot development about the origin of both Betelgeuse and Dolores, as well as giving us a warning about her, for the most part. Though he’s yet another minor appearance, but I also finding him fascinating, seeing to poke fun of B movie character and even film noir detective, nice touch. But of course, Dafoe is no stranger for my memorable performer for his delivery and some monologue, he always kicks ass.
Lastly is Jeremy Frazier (played by Arthur Conti), a teenager who we assuming to be a nice and innocent resident of Winter River when Astrid meets him. I find him okay, but easy to predict that when he meets someone like Astrid, this must be a dark setup who he is behind his normal teenage life, but again, no SPOILER detail further about him. I mean, that’s like three villains in the movie, cause we all know that having three villains is just too much to bare and confusing for who’s the main villain instead of mixing up to three (sounds like somebody has never learned since I covered Spider-Man 3… No offense). Even though he’s new since GOT’s House of the Dragon, and I think did a good work for say the least, il give it a pass.
Although one character that I do wanna give a factoid, is this blue skinned Janitor, played by Danny DeVito, has shown in a cameo for being Dolores’s first victim, which im guessing its meant to be an in-joke made that, from im aware, DeVito has been in Burton movies a couple times from Batman Returns as The Penguin or Mars Attack as a gambler.
And yes, im aware that two characters were originally intended to bringing back, are the Maitland couple Adam and Barbara (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis in the first film), but because Burton wanted to make a sequel in practical effects, it will be unlikely to bring back in the cut, especially for their ages and/or even the focus of the Deetz family. Aw well.
While some characters are a welcome return for changing or remain the same that we enjoy, while the new characters are mixed bag from fascinating, could’ve been promising to predictable.
And now for my final opinion of this film
Overall, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a fun movie for its welcome return, although its not as fresh as the first film.
The filming presentation looks amazing, the jokes are chuckle worthy, the old casts are welcoming, the new casts are good, the characters of some are good too, its chaotic that its silly and fun and even soundtrack and the songs are a nice use, especially with Danny Elfman’s return.
However, despite of its welcome return, the movie has problems from too much villains that its hard to which one is the focus, despite I like Dolores as the main villain, but barely shown, some characters are too predictable and some of the writing is poorly executed what we’d hoped for.
Even though its not a greater sequel that we expected for Tim Burton’s passion to bringing our favorite Bio-Exorcist back from the grave, but at least he tried with all due respect. For recommendation, I think its definitely for the fans of both Tim Burton’s projects and even Beetlejuice. As for me, while I may like this sequel, but its not as great as the first one, I’d say give it a watch for once if you like it or not, il let you draw your conclusion, despite I like the idea for what would’ve been.
For my rating, im gonna give this one a 7/10.
So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.
Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.
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